Film review: Hors Satan, David Dewaele stars in Bruno Dumont's rural allegory
(15)
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bruno Dumont, a safe bet for France's most enigmatic auteur, here presents another inscrutable allegory of rural life. David Dewaele plays the nameless seer-cum-drifter who moves in mysterious ways and saves a whey-faced goth girl (Alexandra Lemâtre) from her abusive stepfather.
The pair become inseparable, mooching about the woods and appearing to commune with the sky, but it's hard to know what hold they have on each other. Does she fully comprehend that he's a psychopath as well as a miracle-worker?
Much of the film consists in long meditative takes of figures tramping across the Normandy countryside, beautifully lit by cinematographer Yves Cape, though in narrative terms it feels pretty starved. Dewaele's close-mouthed stranger with the thousand-yard stare could be Jesus, and he could be the Devil.
Dumont doesn't give us much help in deciding which, and plainly regards it as his right to place huge demands on his audience - the most obvious of them being patience.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments